Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stew1988]

Hi there guys.

Allow me to first tell you my situation and any advice is welcomed. My story / our story is as follows...

- I left South Korea with my wife and we are currently based in the UK.
- My wife is here on a tourist VISA and we have until the end of April 2012 to sort things out and find a place to live.
- We do not want to return to South Korea and living in the UK is not really an option either.
- We have been searching continuously for a good place for us and have come to the following conclusions. (You have consider that we have little money at this point in time to help us relocate.)

1. Hong Kong: I have received a job offer in Hong Kong. It seems legit, however they do not provide accommodation, help with paying for private accommodation and no flight allowance is included either.

2. Japan: Too expensive. The flights are not included and they provide accommodation at a hefty fee.

3. Taiwan: I have received offers here too. Many employers tell me however that it would be very difficult for my wife to find a job here etc. They also do not provide accommodation, however flights are reimbursed at intervals during the first year.

4. China: We pretty much consider this as the most viable option. The problem is, is that finding employers with integrity is a difficult task in China and there are shady characters scattered all over the place. Beijing and Shanghai are difficult to break into and it appears as though the North of China is the best place for my wife to find employment. For example teaching Korean.

5. Singapore: Too expensive / impossible to break into.

That's what we have discovered. My wife is South Korean. She is a native Korean speaker and her English is communicative and conversational but by no means fluent. She did not finish her College degree, however has a little teaching experience back in South Korea. Having read what you have read, my questions for you are as follows.

1. What countries / cities would be good for my wife to find employment in the Korean sector, ie: teaching Korean. Where is the demand high for this?

2. What country could we both find legitimate / legal employment and what place is also reachable with limited funds to begin with.

I suppose that is it for now. As I said before, any advice is welcomed and much appreciated!

Thank you.

[GrasshopperKR]

Why doesn't your wife get a real job in Korea?

[creeper1]

English First are recruiting all the time. I got a job with them. THere are branches in Beijing.

Just apply and see what happens. Not sure what your wife will do. However I advise against North China for someone teaching Korean as there are already v poor Korean Chinese willing to do that. There being a Korean community there should allow her to do other work there. Probably not teaching though.

People will advise you to come to South Korea though as it means less visa issues with your wife.

[stew1988]

Thanks for that guys.

Actually coming back to Korea is a last resort of an option. Please take a look at one of my other posts to get a better idea of the situation...

http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/viewtopic.php?t=215261

Thanks again

[jfromtheway]

Forgive me if I misread your posts, or am ignorant about anything else (I'm not a F visa long termer); but didn't you say something about having a cancelled visa? Cancelled F visa? I skimmed your other post, but it doesn't seem like you would have any problems returning, as far as my knowledge goes. I can understand why you wouldn't want to return to this backwards ass little peninsula, but if your F visa is still intact, and if you want to live elsewhere in Asia, why not return and give it six months? Get the free flight, bounce out immediately for a low hour job, hustle for privates, have your wife work somewhere to increase your household income, then go somewhere where you will both be happy; in China, Thailand, or wherever. You can bank some good cash in six months on your F visa, which will greatly increase your savings, and allow you better future prospects in other countries. I have no input on what your wife would to though. Good luck though.

[stew1988]

No I have never received an F VISA of any kind before. I was in Korea before on an E2 VISA, however due to circumstances that I mentioned in the other post, ended up doing a midnight run.

[stew1988]

It's a nice idea to return to South Korea for a little bit on the short term and get out of there again asap or as soon as we saved up some cash. Some down sides include as to whether I would be granted an E2 Visa again having done the midnight run or as to whether they would grant us the F VISA due to the midnight run and due to the fact we did not register our marriage in Korea.

[ttompatz]

[1927]

You have the option of simply returning to Korea on a tourist visa. You will not be stopped by immigration unless you have broken a law. Once here, you will find it much easier to hunt for a better job. Also, as a citizen, your wife will have a greater chance of finding some kind of employment. Once you both have jobs, you will find it easier to get an f-2 visa. Once you have an f-2 visa, you will find it MUCH easier to find even better and more diverse work. Register your marriage at the soonest possible opportunity!

Regarding the original question, as a dependent on your visa in another country, there is no guarantee your wife will find legal employment - especially in light of the fact she does not have a degree. Also, each country may have slightly different laws regarding this matter. Higher demands for Korean as a Foreign Language are in SE Asia such as Vietnam, Thailand, areas of the Philippines (already saturated with Koreans), areas of China. All of these places have a comparatively lower cost of living.

Another option worth exploring for your wife is to engage with Korean communities abroad and work privately as a kindergarten/ daycare teacher/ nanny for young children of Korean business people in the countries you have mentioned. I have heard anecdotes from 2 people who have done this, but I would not really bet on it - I think both were cases of being in the right place at the right time.

Edited after re-reading OP's latest post.